When green revolution seeds with a narrow genetic base were spread rapidly over a vast part of the agricultural land of India and several other developing countries, they displaced a vast diversity of local crops and crop-varieties. The reason why farmers over several generations had developed and preserved a vast and increasing diversity of crop-species was that these were needed for different kinds of land, situations and needs.

There could be different varieties suitable for lower land and upper land, for flood-prone land and well-protected land. Seed selection could vary depending on whether rains were normal, deficient or excess. Different varieties could be selected for preparing normal rice or scented rice, for rice known to be best for preparing khichdi or kheer, or for processing into poha or murmura, or for meeting some special health or medicinal needs. Farmers recognized and understood their local, diverse seeds and their special characteristics. As long as they had these seeds in stock, or could obtain them from neighbours, they could adapt themselves to various changing situations at the local level. Once these seeds were lost and displaced, farmers became helpless and then understood their great loss. However by then it was too late and much of the precious heritage of seeds had been lost. But gradually several community efforts started to be made to find and save traditional seeds.

Of course, government and corporate efforts too had started to save endangered seed varieties in gene banks, but from the point of view of farmers what was really important was to save traditional seeds by growing them on their farms. These would then be shared with others and so the process of revival of the diversity of traditional indigenous seeds would spread. The Himalayan region with different seeds found suitable for different elevations and with farmers traditionally adopting many fascinating mixed-farming systems, including millet crops that are rare in the plains, have been particularly known for the genetic diversity of crops. When some Chipko movement activists of Hemvalghti region in Garhwal (Uttarakhand) realised that this diversity including an invaluable system of growing together about 12 nutritious crops, called barahanaja, was being threatened in various ways, they launched a pioneering movement called ‘beej bachao aandolan’ (save the seeds movement) to protect the heritage of traditional indigenous seeds. They took out foot marches to remote villages to spread the message of protecting indigenous seeds and mixed farming systems like barahanaja.

Several endangered seeds were collected from remote villages and shared with farmers so that these could be saved in field and farm conditions. Characteristics of many diverse varieties of rice and other crops were carefully documented. Several of those trying to spread natural farming practices realized that it is very important for the success of these efforts to create a strong base of diverse, traditionally-grown indigenous seeds. SRIJAN, a voluntary organization which has been promoting natural farming in several states has set up natural farming centres which also include efforts to collect and share several diverse varieties of traditional indigenous seeds. Several such efforts have found that tribal communities in particular have a rich heritage of a diversity of traditionally grown indigenous seeds and they have been quick to realize the importance of saving this heritage. In the tri-junction tribal belt of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, efforts of a voluntary organization Vaagdhara to protect this heritage of tribal communities, particularly the Bheel tribal community, have won widespread appreciation. These efforts have continued for nearly 15 years.

Several foot marches were taken out to spread this message. While individual farmers were also encouraged in indigenous seed protection efforts, at the same time community seed banks were also established. These efforts led to the emergence of several women farmers in particular as very capable and successful conservers of indigenous seeds. They were honoured at gatherings of villagers as beej-mitra and beej-mata. Thanks to the sharing of these seeds by farmers at several levels, these seeds which were once getting endangered are now being grown in several villages by an increasing number of farmers. A recently organized seeds festival, which involved the holding of nearly 90 seeds assemblies in as many villages, has given a big boost to the saving and sharing of indigenous seeds by tribal farmers, particularly women farmers.

For the activists of Vaagdhara, this is part of a wider vision of Gram Swaraj or village self-reliance which draws its inspiration from Mahatma Gandhi and has proven of great value in improving the livelihood base of tribal communities and reducing their dependence on highly exploitative migrant labor. As the Coordinator of Vaagdhara Jayesh Joshi says, “Practical application of Gandhiji’s concept of Swaraj in terms of contemporary issues and needs is very important and in the context of the farmers their most important need perhaps is to be self-reliant in terms of seeds.

Seed is after all the basis of all farming. Hence beej swaraj or seed self-reliance of farmers has been for us a very important part of the overall concept of swaraj.” “What is more”, he continues, “the response of farmers particularly women farmers from tribal communities has been so encouraging that clearly our theoretical understanding of the concept of beej swaraj has been confirmed by the field level realities and experiences.” The other aspect of promotion of self-reliance in this context has been in terms of promotion of natural farming and preparation of field-level natural fertilizers and pest repellants based on locally available resources.

All these components are mutually supportive and can be well-integrated with each other. Hence the way forward is not to look at the saving of indigenous seeds as an isolated activity but to integrate it in a more holistic understanding of swaraj and gram swaraj, or a vision of village development based on increasing resilience and self-reliance of rural communities.

(The writer is Honorary Convener, Campaign to Save Earth Now. His recent books include Protecting Earth for Children, Man over Machine and India’s Quest for Sustainable Farming and Healthy Food.)